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The Roman Navy (Latin: Classis) operated between the First Punic war and the end of the Western Roman Empire.

History

Early history

The Romans were originally a land power based in the Italian peninsula, and were wary of the sea. In the First Punic War (264 BC - 241 BC), the Carthaginians, a power rooted in sea trade, were able to exploit their strength at sea in their struggles with the Roman Republic. Since most of the conflict in the war was overseas (especially in Sicily), Rome saw that it needed to build a fleet in order to develop an effective military response. The result was the rapid construction in 260 BC of the first sizeable Roman fleet of about 150 quinqueremes and triremes, operating near the Strait of Messina between Sicily and the toe of Italy.

Rome worked to nullify the Carthaginian sea advantage by equipping their ships with the newly invented corvus, a plank with a spike for hooking onto enemy ships. This allowed the Romans to send their army to sea to board the attached enemy ships, avoiding the traditional battle tactics of ramming, in which they were far less experienced.

Although the first sea engagement, the Battle of the Lipari Islands in 260 BC, was a defeat for Rome, the forces involved were relatively small. The fledgling Roman navy won its first major engagement later that year at the Battle of Mylae.

Through the course of the war, Rome continued to win victories at sea and gained naval experience. Their string of successes allowed Rome to push the war further across the sea to Carthage itself.

At the beginning of the Second Punic War (218 BC - 202 BC), the balance of naval power in the Western Mediterranean had shifted from Carthage to Rome. This caused Hannibal, Carthage's great general, to shift the strategy, bringing the war to the Italian peninsula.

Late Republic

After Rome's eventual victory over Carthage, there was no other sea power left to contend with Rome's marine might, and the Roman Navy was largely disbanded. In the absence of a strong naval presence, piracy flourished throughout the Mediterranean. Periodically, Rome would organize expeditions to deal with pirates. In 67 BC the Senate authorised Pompey to organize a large naval force and with this he effectively rid the Mediterranean of large scale piracy.

As the Roman Republic unraveled in the period of civil war, competing Roman forces once again built up their naval might. Sextus Pompeius, in his conflict with Octavian, amassed a fleet powerful enough to threaten the vital supply of grain from Sicily to Rome. Octavian, with the help of Marcus Agrippa, built a fleet at Forum Iulii, and defeated Sextus in the Battle of Naulochus in 36 BC, finally putting an end to all Pompeian resistance. Octavian's power was further cemented against the combined fleets of Mark Antony and Cleopatra in the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. This last naval battle of the Roman Republic definitively established Rome, with Octavian in sole command, as the supreme naval power in the Mediterranean. After this, he formalised several key naval harbours for the mediterranean and the now fully professional navy had its main duties consist of protecting against piracy, escorting troops and patrolling the rivers frontiers of Europe.

Major events

Admirals

Roman Navy composition

A ship's crew, regardless of its size, was organised as a centuria with one officer responsible for sailing operations and a centurion for the military tasks. Among the crew were usually also a number of principales and immunes, some of which were identical to those of the army and some of which were peculiar to the fleet. Command of fleets was given to equestrian prefects, those of the fleets based at Ravenna and Misenum having the largest prestige.

=Navy terms of service
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Men could sign on as marines, rowers/seamen, craftsmen and various other jobs, though all personnel serving in the imperial fleet were classed as soldiers, regardless of their function.

Though the fleet had its own marines, these troops were used for boarding enemy vessels rather than amphibious assaults. The status of the sailors and marines of the Roman navy were somewhat similar to that of the auxiliary soldiers serving in the army, and received a salary of around the same amount. The fleet recruited freeborn citizens and provincials as well as freedmen. Soldiers that did not possess Roman citizenship received this privilege after a minimum of 20 years of service with all the attending benefits that this entailed, as well as a sizable cash payment.

Fleets

The fleet of the Roman Empire had two major bases, as well as several minor ones. The two major fleets, which controlled the Mare Nostrum, were:

  • Classis Misenensis;
  • Classis Ravennatis.

Provincial fleets:

  • Classis Britannica controlled the English Channel and the waters around Britannia
  • Classis Germanica controlled the Rhine river, and was a fluvial fleet
  • Classis Pannonica controlled the Danube river, and was a fluvial fleet
  • Classis Moesica controlled the western Black sea
  • Classis Pontica controlled the southern Black sea
  • Classis Syriaca controlled the eastern Mediterranean sea
  • Classis Alexandrina controlled the eastern Mediterranean sea
  • Classis Mauretania controlled the African coasts of western Mediterranean sea

Classis Misenensis
This fleet was based in Misenum beginning in 27 BC. Classis Misenensis, later Classis Praetoria Misenensis, was intended to control in the western part of the Mediterranean Sea. Among the sailors of this fleet, Nero levied the Legio I Classis. In 330 her ships were moved to Constantinople, where emperor Constantine had moved the capital of the Roman Empire.

Classis Misenensis was formed, among the others, by the following ships*:

  • 1 esareme: Ops
  • 1 quinqueremes: Victoria
  • 9 quadriremes: Fides, Vesta, Venus, Minerva, Dacicus, Fortuna, Annona, Libertas, Olivus
  • 50 triremes: Concordia, Spes, Mercurius, Iuno, Neptunus, Asclepius, Hercules, Lucifer, Diana, Apollo, Venus, Perseus, Salus, Athenonix, Satyra, Rhenus, Libertas, Tigris, Oceanus, Cupidus, Victoria, Taurus, Augustus, Minerva, Particus, Eufrates, Vesta, Aesculapius, Pietas, Fides, Danubius, Ceres, Tibur, Pollux, Mars, Salvia, Triunphus, Aquila, Liberus Pater, Nilus, Caprus, Sol, Isis, Providentia, Fortuna, Iuppiter, Virtus, Castor
  • 11 liburnians: Aquila, Agathopus, Fides, Aesculapius, Iustitia, Virtus, Taurus Ruber, Nereis, Clementia, Armata, Minerva

Classis Ravennatis
Based in Ravenna since 27 BC, Classis Ravennatis was used to control the eastern part of the Mediterranean sea. In 330 her ships were moved to Constantinople.

Classis Britannica
Based since 43 in Portus Itius (Boulogne-sur-Mer, called also Gesoriacum or Bononia), Gallia, and probably since 296 in Rutupiae (Richborough), Britannia. It also had a base (smaller than that at Boulogne) at Dubris, now to be seen at the Painted House, and in the basement of the town library (the former White Cliffs Experience).

Its purpose was to control the English Channel and the waters around the Roman province of Britannia. This fleet played a major role in the invasion of Britannia. Under Agricola it circumnavigated Scotland, and in 83 it attacked the eastern coast of Scotland. One year later the fleet reached the Orkney Islands.

The control of the Classis Britannica and of the harbour of Bononia allowed two Roman generals, Carausius and Allectus, to declare the secession of the Britannia province, in the 290s. When Constantius Chlorus, by order of Diocletian, regained Bononia, the so-called Britannic Empire was put to an end.

Classis Germanica
Beginning in 12 BC in Castra Vetera (Germania Inferior), this fleet controlled the Rhine river as well as the North Sea. After 50, this fleet moved its main base to Colonia Agrippinensis (Germania).

Classis Pannonica
From 35 BC in Aquincum (Pannonia, modern Budapest), this fleet controlled the Danube from Castra Regina (Raetia, modern Regensburg) to Singidunum (Moesia, modern Beograd). It was re-organized under the Flavian dynasty, when it was renamed Classis Flavia Pannonica.

Classis Moesica
Based in Noviodunum, the Classis Flavia Moesica controlled the lower Danube.

Classis Pontica
Operative since 14 BC, and based since 54/60 in Trapezus (Pontus), this classis was used to guard the Southern and Eastern Black Sea.

Classis Syriaca
Established in 63 BC, and based since 70 in Seleucia Pieriae (Syria), this fleet controlled the Eastern Mediterranean sea and the Aegean sea.

Classis Alexandrina
Based in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Aegyptus, Classis Alexandrina controlled the eastern part of the Mediterraneas sea. It was built by Caesar Augustus around 30 BC, and probably fought the battle of Actium. Having supported emperor Vespasian in the civil war, it was awarded of the cognomen Augusta, and was called Classis Augusta Alexandrina.

Ports

Major Roman ports were:

See also

External links

Roman fleets

Roman ships

Navies | Ancient Rome

Römische Marine | Armada romana

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Roman Navy".

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